Sleeping at Delhi International Airport Terminal 3

by Amanda/Backpacking Tips Asia
(Oslo, Norway)

To save money on flights, we decided to break the flight journey from Kerala to Varanasi - meaning that we had to stay in Delhi for 14 hours. The flight from Kochi arrived in the evening at 08.00 pm so staying in central Delhi for the night was out of the question.

Since our flight didn't depart until 10.30 am the next day we weren't allowed to walk around at the terminal. They could let us in 4 hours before departure. So we were stuck at the bad part of the airport with no shopping or free internet, only a handful of restaurants.

So what to do? Sleep at the airport! Gesssh, we were not the only one spending the night at the international airport. The lounge which we were assigned to was packed with locals and families.

No more room for us.

First, we decided to sleep on the cold floor. We unpacked our backpacks to find our sheeting and sweaters. It was super cold and very noisy.

Me and one of the other girls decided to explore a little, and went downstairs. On first floor there were lots of empty chairs, so we decided to sleep here instead. At least some peace. This was right outside the pricey "Nap and Massage"-lounge.

I dozed off for an hour, and woke up because I was FREEZING!!! The air-con at the airport wore us out! One of the class mates who slept right next to me, took out her cap, woolly socks and scarf. I wrapped my sheeting over my body and face, but that didn't help much. The chairs were hard, and I finally managed to find the right sleeping position without landing on the floor.

When I woke up there were lots of people around us, staring at us -- with the fleece sweaters, caps and scarfs! Hahahahaahaha

So bring a good sweater and a thin blanket if you're planning on spending the night here -- for free.

For over-nighters there are lounges to choose from at terminal 3, but they're not exactly cheap.

This wasn't the first time I spent the night at Delhi airport. The first time was in October 2007, but before the big and modern changes to the airport. During that time it was hot, humid and dirty at the international airport.

Now, terminal 3 is a shining beacon of Delhi. Spacious, super clean and totally modern.


Amanda

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